{"id":586884,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/586884/?format=json","text_counter":291,"type":"other","speaker_name":"","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"country is literally the leader in athletics. It also leads continentally in volleyball and rugby. In the past, Kenya used to be a well known name in the boxing arena in the continent. All these achievements clearly brand this country more than what the Brand Kenya board does as well as other institutions which get a lot of funds to go out there and market our country. In fact, the little sports that person who runs, gets a medal and appears globally being watched by millions of people brings fame. That is the name that people remember when you go out there. When Kenya is mentioned in the furthest corner of this world, the thing that even a rural person in China or Japan remembers is the people who run. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is very important that in addition to the glory of the name and the branding, sporting is an event that means that ultimately, Kenya can actually have international championships held in this country because of the fact that we are global leaders. That is what happens in soccer and all the other sports. I remember that there was a time when this country was bidding to hold All Africa Games, but I think that we can now bid international because that will bring in resources, investors and many other things that are tied to an international sports event in which countries spend hundreds of millions of dollars to lobby to get the opportunity to host such kind of events. I also agree with the challenges that the Mover mentioned. We all know that one does not need to go to school. There are serious challenges in the sporting industry in this country. The most significant being the lack of proper leadership and management. The names we heard when we were in school running football and athletic are still the same people that we see today. Actually, if one does not achieve or perform elsewhere, even when one leaves this House, is to go and run for one of the sporting associations; athletics, football, boxing and or any other. That is the reason there are always wrangles in football, cricket, and literally many of the sports association. This is due to lack of leadership and management. Some of the challenges we have faced include problems with regards to payment of the sports persons. We have witnessed instances when sportsmen and women are detained in hotels due to lack of payment. They cannot fly because whoever was supposed to procure the tickets diverted that money. Corruption is a major problem in our sports industry. This has got a de-motivating effect on not only the existing but also on the potential sportsmen. It is a cancer that we have been reading about it yet sports is such a big industry. Some of the wealthiest football clubs in the United Kingdom like Real Madrid, Manchester United and others, their wealth is equivalent to the entire Gross Domestic Products (GDP) of many of the countries in Africa. Imagine the money those people control. Their budgets run into billions of dollars and this is what sports is. It is not just a philanthropic exercise but a business and it requires professional management. This is why without professional management and leadership, we will not be able to get it. That is why it is important that the Government is there to inject that professionalism, order, direction and control in sports. Unfortunately, we have not succeeded. In all our successive governments, we have let our sports industry to perform poorly because of poor management and not the lack of talent. For example, the athletes, we all know that 90 per cent of them come from the Kalenjin Community. If you ask, forget about the rest of the world, most of us in this House to name three sportsmen who won 16 medals that we got in the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), none of the Senators will name even three of those athletes. Many people do not know who Yego, Rudisha and others are. It is amazing yet these are the internationally recognised brand names. They are people who have performed in the glory of their profession. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."}